with affection and love. Regarding him with affection, he wishes him to be honourable: regarding him with love, he wishes him to be rich. The appointment of Seang to be the prince of Yew-pe was to enrich and ennoble him. If while Shun himself was emperor, his brother had been a common man, could he have been said to regard him with affection and love?"

3. Wan Chang said, "I venture to ask what you mean by saying that some supposed that it was a banishing of Seang?" Mencius replied, "Seang could do nothing in his State. The emperor appointed an officer to administer its government, and to pay over its revenues to him. This treatment of him led to its beHow indeed could he

ing said that he was banished. be allowed the means of oppressing the people? Nevertheless, Shun wished to be continually seeing him, and, by this arrangement, he came incessantly to court, as is signified in that expression-' He did not wait for the rendering of tribute, or affairs of government, to receive the prince of Yew-pe.'"

IV. 1. Ĥeen-k'ew Mung asked Mencius, saying, "There is the saying,-'A scholar of complete virtue may not be employed as a minister by his sovereign, nor treated as a son by his father. Shun stood with his face to the south, and Yaou, at the head of all the princes, appeared before him at court with his face to the north. Koo-sow also did the same. When Shun saw Koo-sow, his countenance became discomposed. Confucius said, At this time, in what a perilous condition was the empire! Its state was indeed unsettled. I do not know whether what is here said really took place" Mencius replied, "No. These are not the words of a superior man. They are the sayings of au uncultivated person of the east of Ts'e. When Yaou was old, Shun was associated with him in the government. It is said in the Canon of Yaou, 'After twenty

and eight years, the Highly Meritorious one deceased. The people acted as if they were mourning for a father or mother for three years, and up to the borders of the four seas every sound of music was hushed.' Confucius said, 'There are not two suns in the sky, nor two sovereigns over the people.' Shun having been emperor, and, moreover, leading on all the princes to observe the three years' mourning for Yaou, there would have been in this case two emperors."

2. Heen-k'ew Mung said, "On the point of Shun's not treating Yaou as a minister, I have received your instructions. But it is said in the Book of Poetry, "Under the whole heaven,

Every spot is the sovereign's ground;
To the borders of the land,

Every individual is the sovereign's minister;' -and Shun had become emperor. I venture to ask how it was that Koo-sow was not one of his ministers." Mencius answered, "That ode is not to be understood in that way :—it speaks of being laboriously engaged in the sovereign's business, so as not to be able to nourish one's parents, as if the author said, 'This is all the sovereign's business, and how is it that I alone am supposed to have ability, and am made to toil in it?' Therefore, those who explain the odes, may not insist on one term so as to do violence to a sentence, nor on a sentence so as to do violence to the general scope. They must try with their thoughts to meet that scope, and then we shall apprehend it. If we simply take single sentences, there is that in the ode called 'The Milky Way,'

"Of the black haired people of the remnant of Chow, There is not half a one left.'

If it had been really as thus expressed, then not an individual of the people of Chow was left.

3. "Of all which a filial son can attain to, there is

nothing greater than his honouring his parents. And of what can be attained to in the honouring one's pa rents, there is nothing greater than the nourishing them with the whole empire. Koo-sow was the father of the emperor; this was the height of honour. Shun nourished him with the whole empire;-this was the height of nourishing. In this was verified the sentiment in the Book of Poetry,

"Ever cherishing filial thoughts,

Those filial thoughts became an example to after ages.'

4. "It is said in the Book of History, 'Reverently performing his duties, he waited on Koo-sow, and was full of veneration and awe. Koo-sow also believed him and conformed to virtue.'-This is the true case of the scholar of complete virtue not being treated as a son by

his father."

V. 1. Wan Chang said, "Was it the case that Yaou gave the empire to Shun?" Mencius said, "No. The emperor cannot give the empire to another."

2. "Yes; but Shun had the empire. Who gave it to him?" "Heaven gave it to him," was the answer. 3. "Heaven gave it to him':-did Heaven confer its appointment on him with specific injunctions?"

4. Mencius replied, "No. Heaven does not speak. It simply showed its will by his personal conduct, and his conduct of affairs."

5. "It showed its will by his personal conduct and his conduct of affairs':-how was this?" Mencius' an swer was, "The empire can present a man to Heaven, but he cannot make Heaven give that man the empire. A prince can present a man to the emperor, but he cannot cause the emperor to make that man a prince. A great officer can present a man to his prince, but he cannot cause the prince to make that man a great officer. Yaou presented Shun to Heaven, and the people ac

cepted him Therefore I say, 'Heaven does not speak. It simply indicated its will by his personal conduct and his conduct of affairs.""

6. Chang said, "I presume to ask how it was that Yaou presented Shun to heaven, and Heaven accepted him; and that he exhibited him to the people, and the people accepted him." Mencius replied, "He caused him to preside over the sacrifices, and all the spirits were well pleased with them ;-thus Heaven accepted him. He caused him to preside over the conduct of affairs, and affairs were well administered, so that the people reposed under him ;—thus the people accepted him. Heaven gave the empire to him. The people gave it to him. Therefore I said, 'The emperor cannot give the empire to another.'

7. "Shun assisted Yaou in the government for twenty and eight years;-this was more than man could have done, and was from Heaven. After the death of Yaou, when the three years' mourning was completed, Shun withdrew from the son of Yaou to the south of South river. The princes of the empire, however, repairing to court, went not to the son of Yaou, but they went to Shun. Litigants went not to the son of Yaou, but they went to Shun. Singers sang not the son of Yaou, but they sang Shun. Therefore I said, "Heaven gave him the empire. It was after these things that he went to the Middle kingdom, and occupied the emperor's seat. If he had, before these things, taken up his residence in the palace of Yaou, and had applied pressure to the son of Yaou, it would have been an act of usurp ation, and not the gift of Heaven.

8. "This sentiment is expressed in the words of The great Declaration,- Heaven sees according as my people see; Heaven hears according as my people hear.'

VI. 1. Wan Chang asked Mencius saying, "People say, 'When the disposal of the empire came to Yu, his

virtue was inferior to that of Yaou and Shun, and he transmitted it not to the worthiest but to his son.' Was it so?" Mencius replied, "No; it was not so. When Heaven gave the empire to the worthiest, it was given to the worthiest. When Heaven gave it to the son of the preceding emperor, it was given to him. Shun presented Yu to Heaven. Seventeen years elapsed, and Shun died. When the three years' mourning was expired, Yu withdrew from the son of Shun to Yang-shing. The people of the empire followed him just as after the death of Yaou, instead of following his son, they had followed Shun. Yu presented Yih to Heaven. Seven years elapsed, and Yu died. When the three years' mourning was expired, Yih withdrew from the son of Yu to the north of mount Ke. The princes, repairing to court, went not to Yih, but they went to Ke. Litigants did not go to Yih, but they went to K'e, saying, 'IIe is the son of our sovereign ;' the singers did not sing Yih, but they sang K'e, saying, 'He is the son of our sovereign.'

2. "That Tan-choo was not equal to his father, and Shun's son not equal to him; that Shun assisted Yaou, and Yu assisted Shun, for many years, conferring benefits on the people for a long time; that thus the length of time during which Shun, Yu, and Yih, assisted in the government was so different; and that the sons of the emperors were the one a man of talents and virtue, and the other two inferior to their fathers :—all this was from Heaven, and what could not be produced by man. That which is done without man's doing it is from Heaven. That which happens without inan's causing it to happen is from the ordinance of Heaven.

3. "In the case of a private individual obtaining the empire, there must be in him virtue equal to that of Shun or Yu, and moreover there must be the presenting of him to Heaven by the preceding emperor. It